The San Francisco 49ers collapsed from up-and-coming

contender into one of the NFL’s worst teams in a matter of weeks. Losing franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 3 and lead running back Jerick McKinnon prior to the season has proven too much to bear Authentic Kyle Juszczyk Jersey , as it would for the vast majority of teams in the NFL. The issues with turnovers, assignments and tackling have only made the on-field product that much more unbearable.Despite everything working against them, Kyle Shanahan’s squad can’t afford to lose on Thursday when the Oakland Raiders make the short trip South to Levi’s Stadium.The 49ers’ second loss to the 2-6 Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in Glendale, AZ proved a new low-point in the season — blowing a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter to one of the NFL’s worst offenses. The last-second botched snap at mid-field to end any chance at a game-tying field goal was an exclamation point on the harsh reality that the 49ers have a long way to go before competing.The 49ers’ fanbase has already set their sights on the 2019 NFL Draft. Understandably so, given the gaping holes in the roster, most notably at pass rusher. Besides, the only acceptable consolation prize for a season this disappointing would be the most coveted trophy among the loser’s bracket — the No. 1 overall pick. How many of you just said “Nick Bosa” to yourself? Unfortunately, the 1-6 Raiders are also in contention for the honor of first-overall. Draft position be damned, San Francisco’s players, coaches and staff cannot afford to lose the Battle of the Bay.The Raiders are the 49ers with organizational disarray taking the forefront over injuries. They may be without running back Marshawn Lynch and tackle Donald Penn, but they’re nowhere near as ravaged as the 49ers, who may even be starting third-string quarterback Nick Mullens if C.J. Beathard’s wrist injury persists. Instead http://www.sanfrancisco49ersteamonline.com/ahkello-witherspoon-jersey , the catalyst seems to be embattled head coach Jon Gruden, who began his 10-year, $100-million tenure with Oakland by drastically altering the landscape of the organization. He traded away two of the Raiders’ top weapons on both sides of the ball in defensive end Khalil Mack and receiver Amari Copper.The 1-7 Raiders under Gruden have found a way to make headlines for the wrong reasons in 2018, with franchise players like quarterback Derek Carr taking to Twitter to reaffirm his commitment to the silver and black. Things in Oakland are slowly deteriorating as the team creeps toward their eventual 2020 move to Las Vegas.The 49ers may not have earned any real confidence at this point in the season but it still seems fair to expect them to beat the Raiders on Thursday at Levi’s Stadium. Failing to overcome an equally struggling team with as much baggage as the Raiders will cast a new shadow over the 49ers regime of Shanahan and general manager John Lynch - one that borders on doubt more than pity. Morale among the 49ers after their Week 8 collapse against the Cardinals, from the top down, was as low as it should ever be in 2018. This team needs a win, for the sake of the players, coaches and staff, even if that means sacrificing valuable draft position in the process. The Bay Area rival Raiders, in front of the home crowd, under the lights of prime time, are an opportunity the 49ers can’t afford to let slip away. The elegant tank is alive and well. After the San Francisco 49ers made the Oakland Raiders look like a team Alabama could beat White Ahkello Witherspoon Jersey , they returned to their ways by blowing a lead and letting the New York Giants, who only had a single win before Monday night, win the game. It stings. It’s horrible. I said if the 49ers let Saquon Barkley and Odell Beckham Jr. wake up that they would feel the effects. I certainly wasn’t wrong. The Giants offense found a way to stay on the field play after play, allowing time for Eli Manning to forget he’s Eli Manning. The 49ers would have won if...The defense could finish a game. I guess this goes with if the refs could keep their penalty flags in their pockets too, but I’ll get to that. Back to the defense, it found a way time and time again to keep the Giants offense on the field. If they could simply close a drive and let the offense run out the clock, they would have had this. Instead, stupid coverages like letting Ahkello Witherspoon go up against OBJ by himself (what the hell was that about?) and the once again awful pass rush showed the defense can’t close when it matters. The 49ers lost because...The officiating was trash. That’s no excuse for a game, blaming the officials, but there was some awful calls. Flopping is now in the NFL thanks to that George Kittle PI, OBJ held Sherman’s arm yet Sherman gets the flag, I can’t say I’m surprised by any of this. The final drive of the Giants was the worst with third and longs getting converted due to flags because of the 49ers either being knuckleheads or the NFL wanting to display its officiating. But the more pathetic thing is how many times the 49ers let themselves get into those situations. Flag for a first down? Third and long Youth Jimmy Garoppolo Jersey , only to get another flag to start all over—and this process was how the Giants scored. It was ridiculous and less on the officiating. It wasn’t one key call, it was several. You aren’t going to win when you keep committing mistakes, no matter how trivial they may be. Beyond the officiating, the 49ers lost because the offense couldn’t execute in key moments. Marquise Goodwin (I hope he’s ok after those vicious head shots) had a ball he should have caught (I don’t care if it’s a late throw, that’s a ball you catch) that could have led to sustaining a drive. That said, Nick Mullens didn’t look awful, he had some mistakes but I’d venture to say he has a better skill set to run this offense than C.J. Beathard. Still, this game is not near as much on the offense as it is on the defense.